Rachel Galanis didn’t set out to transform a school. But with one leap of faith, she did just that.

 

In this episode of Brighter Together, Rachel shares how her transition from the juvenile justice system to Christian education sparked a cultural transformation at St. John’s Lutheran School in Lannon, Wisconsin. As the school’s first-ever Resource Center Director, Rachel created something that didn’t exist: a faith-rooted, trauma-informed, emotionally intelligent model of support that embraces the whole child.

 

From Mindfulness Mondays to Girls Circles and crisis care, Rachel reveals how she built buy-in from families, staff, and church members—and how this one shift turned doubt into breakthrough.

 

**Inside the Episode:**

– How Rachel launched an emotional wellness culture from scratch

– Integrating faith and SEL without losing clinical clarity

– Real examples of resilience-building that stick with kids for life

– Creating systems of support in small schools without big budgets

 

This episode is for every educator who’s ever asked: Is this making a difference?

 

It is. And it starts with one shift.